W2WF: ACC Semifinals vs. Syracuse
April 26, 2019 | Lacrosse, #ForBoston Files
It's the renewal of an ACC rivalry under Alumni Stadium's bright lights.
A championship-caliber team can sometimes become a victim of its own success. Winning transforms opportunity into expectation to the point that it becomes second nature. It doesn't necessarily diminish the accomplishment, but it creates a scenario of high pressure. Simply getting to championship calibers isn't enough, and winning becomes the standard.
It's a luxury of riches that every team strives to become over time, but no coach or player can ever grasp that because they know all too well that focus always has to be in the present, not the past or the future. A perfect example is the Boston College lacrosse team, which plays on Friday in the ACC Championship semifinals for the third consecutive season.
"It's so exciting just to watch this team play with pride and compete with the best teams in the country," head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said. "The ACC is so good, and it has so many talented teams. I don't think it can ever get old. It's always just so exciting (to play at this level)."
The Eagles understand how hard it is to win at this level, having failed to hoist a tournament championship in each of the previous two trips to the conference four. They lost to Notre Dame in the 2017 semifinals and advanced to the conference championship last year before dropping to North Carolina. This year, the path to a trophy first goes through Syracuse, a team BC defeated in its ACC opener back in February.
"Syracuse is so deep," Walker said. "They're so talented, dynamic and creative. We have to be so stellar to compete with them. They have depth in the midfield and (intelligent) lacrosse minds on attack. Gary Gait is one of the greatest coaches in the game. They're going to force us to be stellar, if we want to compete."
Every victory generates a little more of everything, but every team understands how difficult it is to reach the next level. Nothing is a given, no matter how high expectations soar, and the coaches and players have a deep appreciation for simply earning the next step.
Here's what to watch for as the Eagles take on the Orange Friday evening:
*****
Game Day Storylines
Second verse, nowhere near the first.
BC played Syracuse in February at a time when neither team knew what the future would hold. Both ranked in the Top 15, but it was both teams' ACC opener in the second or third game of the season. Neither team had its true identity, though both planted seeds somewhere along the way.
Syracuse led that game by four goals in the first half and maintained a 7-5 advantage through the break, but BC surged in the second half to earn a 14-12 victory. It was the kind of game that offered a believable preview of a postseason matchup, even though miles separated the possibility from reality. On Friday, therefore, the rematch will offer a different look at a similar foe, which itself is a different perspective from the first round matchup against Louisville.
The Orange attack enters the game with 254 goals on the season on 543 shots, a percentage that soars to nearly 50%. They put over 75% of their shots on goal and possess a lethal offense capable of producing over 30 shots per game. Their high energy in the midfield creates for the attack, and they have 117 assists, a ratio that puts at least one assist on every other goal scored.
"As if they needed any more depth in the midfield, they got it," Walker said of the Orange. "Their offense got more fluid and creative, and that's scary."
The defense is equally stout, having held opponents to under 200 goals on the year with less than 100 assists. They shut down passing lanes to the tune of nearly 100 less shots on goal, averaging six less shots on goal than what the team attempts. Syracuse knows how to cause turnovers and prevent the ride from succeeding on clears, and the team does it while avoiding committing fouls.
"Sarah Cooper is a total stud leading the defense as a freshman," Walker said. "They're just really solid. They are better now than they were in February, but we've improved too. This is going to be an awesome game."
Defense Wins Championships
BC will counter with a well-publicized attack capable of creating shots and goals from anywhere on the field. Nine different goal scorers blasted Louisville on Wednesday morning as part of a barrage that included an 8-0 first half lead.
It's the second part of that score, though, that creates the most intense pride for the coaching staff. The Eagles held the Cardinals scoreless in the first half, which itself was a deflation capable of ending a team's hopes of advancing. It doesn't get the same type of publicity and isn't as flashy as the goal scoring, but it's where BC built a bedrock for its team's success.
"(The defense) changed with personnel," Walker said. "Losing Carly Bell (from last year's roster) was a huge hit, and I think the girls that returned had some big shoes to fill. They don't get enough credit for the hard work they put in. The success of the program is because of the defense."
BC will obviously have its hands full with Syracuse because the Orange can spread the scoring around to multiple people while retaining superstar potential. Emily Hawryschuk has 61 goals on the year, but six other players have 20 strikes, including Meaghan Tyrrell's 32 and Nicole Levy's 28. Sam Swart is one of the most underrated players at drawing free positions.
"The players that returned were so hungry and determined to build the team's chemistry," Walker said. "Over the course of the year, they've done that. They lead the team, push the program, and they're incredible. Our success, again, is because of the defense."
A little bit of R&R?
The early lead on Wednesday allowed BC to continue pushing its depth to new heights. Kenzie Kent didn't play and Sam Apuzzo saw limited opportunities largely because the Eagles built that early lead, and the team continued to improve its depth by enabling new players opportunity to put the ball in the net. The team didn't take its foot off the gas pedal by any stretch, but the players that cycled into the game learned valuable postseason experience that could prove beneficial against the Orange and beyond.
"This team is full of hard workers," Walker said. "The entire team is so consistent. They went out (against Louisville) and owned the first half. (The attack) was outstanding. The defense was ready to play. (Everyone) was competitive from the start, and it was exciting to watch the team work together with that determination."
Syracuse wasn't afforded that same opportunity because it only defeated Virginia by two goals. The Orange opened up a huge first half lead in that game and took a 9-2 advantage into the break, but the Cavaliers dominated the second half. Virginia went on a three-goal spree to open the second half and never really went away on the Orange. That forced the Orange to add key goals at the right point to stymie any chance of a full comeback, but that differed greatly from BC, which didn't have to deal with that same pressure.
There's no way to calculate what the rest might mean going into Friday. The every-other-day schedule is grueling, and it places a premium on conditioning. BC got a little taste of this earlier in the season when it played four games in just over a week.
"The purpose of the day off is recovery, and the girls are coming out on the right side of things," Walker said. "They sometimes underestimate how prepared they are for these opportunities, but (the rest) is all part of the plan. The players are prepared, their legs are ready, and their minds are prepped. As good as it is, though, we know we still have to show up and play to win."
*****
Meteorology 101
Rain, rain go away.
Wednesday was a picture-perfect day in New England. Temperatures soared into the 60s, and the sunshine made it feel great to be outdoors. The sun splashed the region during the day, and the cool, chilly, clear night was everything April in Massachusetts is supposed to become.
Friday? Not so much. It's going to be cold, raw and wet. Temperatures might touch 50 degrees, but the wind is going to be a factor all day. It's also supposed to pour at night, so that's always a good feeling. Luckily, BC-Syracuse is the 5 p.m. game, which should have less chance of rain than the 100% chance that will hit the region during the late semifinal between North Carolina and Duke.
*****
Scoreboard Watching
BC still isn't the clear-cut No. 1 team in the national tournament picture despite being ranked atop the national poll all season. That's because Maryland is still undefeated, having been idle since last Wednesday when it beat No. 24 Georgetown, 17-8, and is the only other team in the national picture to have received a first place vote in the Inside Lacrosse national poll.
The Terrapins will have a 10-day break between games when they finally play their final game on Saturday against Johns Hopkins, followed by next weekend's Big Ten Tournament. Those games will go a long way to determining what happens with the national picture after the ACC Championship wraps up this weekend.
Once again, it's worth noting just how razor thin the margin of error is in the race for a national seed. Syracuse is No. 4 in the nation and can stake a claim to a top two seed if it beats the Eagles on Friday afternoon. North Carolina is No. 3 and plays Duke in the other semifinal. Notre Dame and Virginia, two teams that were eliminated this week, are No. 6 and No. 7 in the nation. Northwestern and Michigan are the other teams currently ranked in the top eight, and both will likely find the Terps at some point in the Big Ten tournament.
All of those teams have three or less losses except for Northwestern and Virginia, and James Madison - the defending national champions - lurk just outside the top eight with a 14-3 overall record. Then there's the Ivy League, which itself is a historic lacrosse powerhouse kind of league, with Princeton at 11-3, and both Dartmouth and Penn at 10-4.
BC might be a lock for the national tournament, but the seeding procedure could drop the Eagles into a less-than-favorable draw. The only way to ensure the right matchups is to keep winning.
*****
Pregame Quote & Prediction
Sometimes it's the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination. -Drake
It's an understatement to say BC and Syracuse traveled long roads to the ACC semifinals. They played each other in February in the Carrier Dome at a time when both teams had tons of potential. The second meeting comes well after potential turned into reality.
What they've learned about themselves will dictate who wins on Friday and advances to the ACC Championship. There are no secrets or surprises to coaches, and the players are well aware of what they can do (and, to a lesser degree, where they still need to improve). Being able to understand that and play their games, the right way, earns victory and advancement.
BC and Syracuse will play at 5 p.m. from Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The game will be televised and can be seen on the ACC's Regional Sports Network, which in the Boston market can be seen on NESNplus.
It's a luxury of riches that every team strives to become over time, but no coach or player can ever grasp that because they know all too well that focus always has to be in the present, not the past or the future. A perfect example is the Boston College lacrosse team, which plays on Friday in the ACC Championship semifinals for the third consecutive season.
"It's so exciting just to watch this team play with pride and compete with the best teams in the country," head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said. "The ACC is so good, and it has so many talented teams. I don't think it can ever get old. It's always just so exciting (to play at this level)."
The Eagles understand how hard it is to win at this level, having failed to hoist a tournament championship in each of the previous two trips to the conference four. They lost to Notre Dame in the 2017 semifinals and advanced to the conference championship last year before dropping to North Carolina. This year, the path to a trophy first goes through Syracuse, a team BC defeated in its ACC opener back in February.
"Syracuse is so deep," Walker said. "They're so talented, dynamic and creative. We have to be so stellar to compete with them. They have depth in the midfield and (intelligent) lacrosse minds on attack. Gary Gait is one of the greatest coaches in the game. They're going to force us to be stellar, if we want to compete."
Every victory generates a little more of everything, but every team understands how difficult it is to reach the next level. Nothing is a given, no matter how high expectations soar, and the coaches and players have a deep appreciation for simply earning the next step.
Here's what to watch for as the Eagles take on the Orange Friday evening:
*****
Game Day Storylines
Second verse, nowhere near the first.
BC played Syracuse in February at a time when neither team knew what the future would hold. Both ranked in the Top 15, but it was both teams' ACC opener in the second or third game of the season. Neither team had its true identity, though both planted seeds somewhere along the way.
Syracuse led that game by four goals in the first half and maintained a 7-5 advantage through the break, but BC surged in the second half to earn a 14-12 victory. It was the kind of game that offered a believable preview of a postseason matchup, even though miles separated the possibility from reality. On Friday, therefore, the rematch will offer a different look at a similar foe, which itself is a different perspective from the first round matchup against Louisville.
The Orange attack enters the game with 254 goals on the season on 543 shots, a percentage that soars to nearly 50%. They put over 75% of their shots on goal and possess a lethal offense capable of producing over 30 shots per game. Their high energy in the midfield creates for the attack, and they have 117 assists, a ratio that puts at least one assist on every other goal scored.
"As if they needed any more depth in the midfield, they got it," Walker said of the Orange. "Their offense got more fluid and creative, and that's scary."
The defense is equally stout, having held opponents to under 200 goals on the year with less than 100 assists. They shut down passing lanes to the tune of nearly 100 less shots on goal, averaging six less shots on goal than what the team attempts. Syracuse knows how to cause turnovers and prevent the ride from succeeding on clears, and the team does it while avoiding committing fouls.
"Sarah Cooper is a total stud leading the defense as a freshman," Walker said. "They're just really solid. They are better now than they were in February, but we've improved too. This is going to be an awesome game."
Defense Wins Championships
BC will counter with a well-publicized attack capable of creating shots and goals from anywhere on the field. Nine different goal scorers blasted Louisville on Wednesday morning as part of a barrage that included an 8-0 first half lead.
It's the second part of that score, though, that creates the most intense pride for the coaching staff. The Eagles held the Cardinals scoreless in the first half, which itself was a deflation capable of ending a team's hopes of advancing. It doesn't get the same type of publicity and isn't as flashy as the goal scoring, but it's where BC built a bedrock for its team's success.
"(The defense) changed with personnel," Walker said. "Losing Carly Bell (from last year's roster) was a huge hit, and I think the girls that returned had some big shoes to fill. They don't get enough credit for the hard work they put in. The success of the program is because of the defense."
BC will obviously have its hands full with Syracuse because the Orange can spread the scoring around to multiple people while retaining superstar potential. Emily Hawryschuk has 61 goals on the year, but six other players have 20 strikes, including Meaghan Tyrrell's 32 and Nicole Levy's 28. Sam Swart is one of the most underrated players at drawing free positions.
"The players that returned were so hungry and determined to build the team's chemistry," Walker said. "Over the course of the year, they've done that. They lead the team, push the program, and they're incredible. Our success, again, is because of the defense."
A little bit of R&R?
The early lead on Wednesday allowed BC to continue pushing its depth to new heights. Kenzie Kent didn't play and Sam Apuzzo saw limited opportunities largely because the Eagles built that early lead, and the team continued to improve its depth by enabling new players opportunity to put the ball in the net. The team didn't take its foot off the gas pedal by any stretch, but the players that cycled into the game learned valuable postseason experience that could prove beneficial against the Orange and beyond.
"This team is full of hard workers," Walker said. "The entire team is so consistent. They went out (against Louisville) and owned the first half. (The attack) was outstanding. The defense was ready to play. (Everyone) was competitive from the start, and it was exciting to watch the team work together with that determination."
Syracuse wasn't afforded that same opportunity because it only defeated Virginia by two goals. The Orange opened up a huge first half lead in that game and took a 9-2 advantage into the break, but the Cavaliers dominated the second half. Virginia went on a three-goal spree to open the second half and never really went away on the Orange. That forced the Orange to add key goals at the right point to stymie any chance of a full comeback, but that differed greatly from BC, which didn't have to deal with that same pressure.
There's no way to calculate what the rest might mean going into Friday. The every-other-day schedule is grueling, and it places a premium on conditioning. BC got a little taste of this earlier in the season when it played four games in just over a week.
"The purpose of the day off is recovery, and the girls are coming out on the right side of things," Walker said. "They sometimes underestimate how prepared they are for these opportunities, but (the rest) is all part of the plan. The players are prepared, their legs are ready, and their minds are prepped. As good as it is, though, we know we still have to show up and play to win."
*****
Meteorology 101
Rain, rain go away.
Wednesday was a picture-perfect day in New England. Temperatures soared into the 60s, and the sunshine made it feel great to be outdoors. The sun splashed the region during the day, and the cool, chilly, clear night was everything April in Massachusetts is supposed to become.
Friday? Not so much. It's going to be cold, raw and wet. Temperatures might touch 50 degrees, but the wind is going to be a factor all day. It's also supposed to pour at night, so that's always a good feeling. Luckily, BC-Syracuse is the 5 p.m. game, which should have less chance of rain than the 100% chance that will hit the region during the late semifinal between North Carolina and Duke.
*****
Scoreboard Watching
BC still isn't the clear-cut No. 1 team in the national tournament picture despite being ranked atop the national poll all season. That's because Maryland is still undefeated, having been idle since last Wednesday when it beat No. 24 Georgetown, 17-8, and is the only other team in the national picture to have received a first place vote in the Inside Lacrosse national poll.
The Terrapins will have a 10-day break between games when they finally play their final game on Saturday against Johns Hopkins, followed by next weekend's Big Ten Tournament. Those games will go a long way to determining what happens with the national picture after the ACC Championship wraps up this weekend.
Once again, it's worth noting just how razor thin the margin of error is in the race for a national seed. Syracuse is No. 4 in the nation and can stake a claim to a top two seed if it beats the Eagles on Friday afternoon. North Carolina is No. 3 and plays Duke in the other semifinal. Notre Dame and Virginia, two teams that were eliminated this week, are No. 6 and No. 7 in the nation. Northwestern and Michigan are the other teams currently ranked in the top eight, and both will likely find the Terps at some point in the Big Ten tournament.
All of those teams have three or less losses except for Northwestern and Virginia, and James Madison - the defending national champions - lurk just outside the top eight with a 14-3 overall record. Then there's the Ivy League, which itself is a historic lacrosse powerhouse kind of league, with Princeton at 11-3, and both Dartmouth and Penn at 10-4.
BC might be a lock for the national tournament, but the seeding procedure could drop the Eagles into a less-than-favorable draw. The only way to ensure the right matchups is to keep winning.
*****
Pregame Quote & Prediction
Sometimes it's the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination. -Drake
It's an understatement to say BC and Syracuse traveled long roads to the ACC semifinals. They played each other in February in the Carrier Dome at a time when both teams had tons of potential. The second meeting comes well after potential turned into reality.
What they've learned about themselves will dictate who wins on Friday and advances to the ACC Championship. There are no secrets or surprises to coaches, and the players are well aware of what they can do (and, to a lesser degree, where they still need to improve). Being able to understand that and play their games, the right way, earns victory and advancement.
BC and Syracuse will play at 5 p.m. from Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The game will be televised and can be seen on the ACC's Regional Sports Network, which in the Boston market can be seen on NESNplus.
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